While I too mourn the passing of Barrymore;s and the like I do appreciate the removal of some of the unsavory elements of Times Square. Back in the late 70's when my friends and I would come in there were prostitutes and drug dealers openly hawking their wares in the Times Square area as soon as the sun went down, and sometimes earlier than that.
One particularly scary moment when my girlfriend and I (we were both around 16 or 17) had just gottenour tickets at the TKTS booth and were walking to the theatre when a large man, dressed like a character from Shaft, walked between us, linked arms with us, very tightly, and starting telling us how "two fine ladies like yourselves could make some wonderful money working for me"
There are some elements of old Times Square I was happy to see go by the wayside!